Sleight of Hand (Skill)
The Sleight of Hand skill is used to conceal actions (like picking a pocket), stash items on your person, and use items on another character’s person. This skill is common to card sharks and other gamblers, as well as petty thieves and double agents. Sample Knowledge: Magic tricks; search and seizure laws; flashy but useless poker chip manipulation; siteswap terminology for juggling. Conceal Action This check is made simultaneously with one other action you wish to conceal (e.g. picking someone’s pocket, dealing from the bottom of a deck, slipping a tracking device into another character’s clothes, etc.). If the action involves an item, this check is only possible with an object at least 2 Size categories smaller than you (i.e. Tiny, assuming you’re Medium). If an observer is actively watching you or the 30-ft. × 30-ft. area in which you’re located (whether they’re looking for a concealed action or not), your Conceal Action result opposes the observer’s Search/Perception result; otherwise, your Conceal Action result opposes his Notice/Awareness result. Your check modifier and error range — as well as those of the observer — are modified as shown on Table 2.43: Action/Item Detection. If your Conceal Action result exceeds the observer’s check result, your action escapes detection; otherwise, the observer spots it. Detecting Multiple Actions: If more than one action is concealed in the same 30-ft. × 30-ft. area, the same Notice/Awareness or Search/Perception result is compared against each Conceal Action result in turn, from lowest to highest (i.e. the observer finds the item with the lowest Conceal Action result first). 'Cooperative: '''Yes (max. helpers equal to your Cha bonus, min. 0), but only when 2 or more characters are taking the action to be concealed (e.g. passing an object from one character to another). '''Retry: '''Yes, but your error range increases by 2 each time. Also, because the check is secret, you may be replacing a better result. '''Threat: '''You gain a sense of the location. When making a Conceal Action check in the same 30-ft. × 30-ft. area, your base error range decreases by 1 (minimum 1). This effect lasts until the end of the current scene, or until you fail a Conceal Action check in the same 30-ft. × 30-ft. area (whichever comes first). '''Critical Success: '''You keep your current Conceal Action result for the next minute (without rolling). '''Error: '''Your fumbling costs you not only secrecy, but also success. The target action fails. '''Critical Failure: '''You’re all thumbs. The target action fails and you cannot make another Conceal Action check until you move at least 30 ft. from your current position, or until the end of the current scene (whichever comes first). Stash Item This skill check is used to conceal an item on your person, or the person of another character. This is only possible with objects at least 1 Size category smaller than the target character (i.e. Small for most Medium Spycraft characters). If an observer actively frisks or otherwise inspects the person concealing the item (whether they’re looking for the item or not), your Stash Item result opposes the observer’s Search/Perception result; otherwise, your Stash Item result opposes his Notice/Awareness. Your check result and error range — as well as those of the observer — are modified as shown on Table 2.43: Action/Item Detection. If your Stash Item result exceeds the observer’s check result, the item escapes detection, gaining the ''hidden condition against him; otherwise, the observer spots it (and any hidden condition is lost). ''Finding Multiple Items: ''If more than one item is concealed on one person, the same Notice/Awareness or Search/Perception result is compared against each Stash Item result in turn, from lowest to highest (i.e. the observer finds the item with the lowest Stash Item result first). ''Retrieving a Stashed Item: ''Once an item is stashed, a character must spend 1 full action to retrieve it. '''Cooperative: '''No. '''Retry: '''No. '''Threat: '''You locate an excellent hiding place. When making a Stash Item check to conceal an item on the same person, your base error range decreases by 1 (minimum 1). This effect lasts until the end of the current scene, or until you fail a Stash Item check targeting the same character (whichever comes first). '''Critical Success: '''You find the perfect hiding place in no time. Your Stash Item check requires only 1 free action. '''Error: '''The attempt to hide the item fails with a result of 0. '''Critical Failure: '''You can’t seem to find a place to hide the object. You cannot make another Stash Item check to conceal an object in the same 30 ft. × 30 ft. area during the current scene. Category:Skill Rules Category:Skill Checks